The last game
by Versats
Summary: A story where ten champions are stuck together in a place they don't know, and all their deepest secrets and fears are discovered one by one. Relationships evolve, priorities change, love and hate become the only rules existing to them.
1. The unknown world

« Thirty seconds until minions spawn »

As always, the same voice was covering the rift. Ahri wondered as usual where it was coming from, imagining multiple answers while she was running to her lane. He very special mid lane, with this very special tower she coud rely on when she was in trouble.

Today, she was playing with some of her best friends. Indeed, game after game, all the champions started to create strong bonds with the people they were feeling the closest to. Even some of the most famous rumors, known in whole Runeterra started this way.

Ahri was surrounded by Vladimir (who everyone knew made his goal to date the fox girl), Sejuani, Lucian and Thresh. Although these two are the worst real-life ennemies, during games, every single emotion has to be put aside. It's the rule number one.

As minions arrived in the lane and started their eternal battle, Ahri's team was able to know who they would have to fight this time. One by one, Shen, Hecarim, Akali, Ashe and Sona made their appearance.

They were battling for fifteen minutes before they noticed something was wrong. Sona started to feel the ground was very lightly shaking. She first thought that Jarvan IV made a cataclysm somewhere on the map but she reminded herself that he was on neither of the teams. She wanted to inform her teammate Ashe, but she didn't know how she could do it. She had never said a single word… So she tried to use a different combination on her instrument, but Ashe could not understand what she wanted to tell her. At least, she understood there was something happening, because she had never seen Sona like this… She was the most calm person she ever met.

At this moment, the light ground shaking became much more intense, and the sky became darker. Really dark. Even Thresh's heart wasn't as dark as the atmosphere of the field… The trees became scary, the water started bubbling, the dragon was flying in circles around his pit. And finally, after several minutes of panic among the champions, the ground totally collapsed, and everything became as dark as oil.

Ahri felt a terrible pain in her leg. She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't think. She was feeling like every tiny piece of strength she had in her whole body left in the dark. But despite all of this, there was still a little battling spark in her soul, that commanded her to focus and understand was was going on. So she opened her eyes.

First, everything was blurred. So she closed them, and opened them again several times until she could see and recognize something. Then, she noticed she was in a kind of a cave, dark, but her eyes were getting used to it. She saw what was hurting her leg; rocks were covering half of her body, so she tried to push them aside with the slow regain of energy she had. After several tries she understood it was way too heavy for her tiny arms, and thought she would have to stay here forever. That's when she heard something, like rocks moving behind a wall. Slowly, a little light appeared in front of her, two meters above the ground where she was laying. The light was becoming bigger as the sound of stones was coming clearer to her ears. Her eyes were not used anymore to this kind of strong light, and she finally had to close them, hearing someone walking slowly next to her.

« Ahri? » said a deep, friendly man voice.

She couldn't answer, her throat was burning. But she nodded to let him know she can hear him.

« Are you okay? Can you move? »

Ahri tried to open her eyes, and after several seconds to get her eyes used to light, she recognized who was talking to her : Shen. She saw a big relieve on his face when she nodded again to say that she was okay. And with her hand, she showed him the stone that was keeping her legs from moving. Immediately, the ninja used all his strength to try to push the rock, breathing heavily, until he finally managed to move it enough to let some space to see Ahri's full body. The fox felt again this horrible pain and she let out a cry of pain that alarmed Shen.

« I will try to take you out of this cave, okay? I saw a river very close from her so I will give you some water too. I will try not to cause you even more pain but… » he said, and his voice seemed not very sure. But Ahri knew that there was no other solution, and she would have to be brave.

Shen took her carefully in his strong arms, and together they got out of the cave.


	2. Love and Hate

Not so far from there, somewhere in the surrounding woods, Lucian was waking up too. Through the leaves, the sun came tickling his face, until he opened his eyes and moved his body to sit against a trunk. He didn't know where he was, nor how he ended up being here. He took some time to feel a little better, and when he heard the river he felt thirsty. He stood up, walked somewhere trusting his ears, and arriving to the source of the sound he took some long swallows of water. And then, he heard a familiar voice. A voice he hated more than anything else, a voice that reminded him the reason behind everything he does, a voice that was still turning his blood to ice whenever he heard it. Thresh. He was here too ! He immediately turned around and hid behind a bush, already focusing on how he could kill his sworn enemy and take revenge on this creature from hell.

He saw a shadow, _his_ shadow. He looked around, found a very sharp stone, and took it in his hand. He then walked slowly towards the one that destroyed his life, behind his back, swift like he always was. He was holding the rock so strong that he was hurting the palm of his hand, without even noticing. Right now, nothing could stop him from realizing the only goal left in his existence. He was about to free himself from all this horrible part of his life, from all these thoughts and nightmares that haunt him every time he closes his eyes…

He stopped. He just heard another voice, with the same kind of ghostly-depth, and as he looked a little further he saw a big horse, and he understood it was in fact Hecarim. That's when he reminded, that he was in a game right before he forgot everything and woke up in this green forest. He also remembered that Thresh and him were on the same team… He felt his heart was breaking, all the hope he had tree seconds before, it was gone. He could not kill Thresh, not during a game… It was written in the rules, and Lucian was not the kind to infringe the rules.

He dropped the stone, his legs were shaking, and he fell on his knees. His mind was a tragic mess, he was fighting really hard with all the thoughts that were coming to his head, and he finally decided to run, as far as he could from this voice and from all the memories inside his heart.

Sejuani knew she was dreaming. She was always having that same dream, again and again, every single night since… she didn't even know when it had started. But now, no matter what she tried to do, every time she woke up she couldn't help but cry.

In her dreams, she is walking along the river with Ashe, in silence, until they reach a waterfall. Remaining silent, they look at the water, at the rocks around, so high, thinking that they have never moved, and that they will stay like this forever…. After a moment like that, Sejuani takes Ashe's hand and starts running to the waterfall, until they disappear under the water… and reappear in a cave on the other side. That's where she uses all the courage she has and tells her rival all the love she feels, she has always felt for her, since the very beginning…

Sejuani woke up in tears, her heart aching and dying just like every morning. But this time, after thirty minutes of sobbing and hate for her own feelings, she open her eyes and looked around.

Everything was so green, so natural, so special ! So… different from the rift.

« What is this place ? » she asked to herself before she remembered her dear companion.

« Bristle ? Where are you? » she called, first carefully, and then more and more loudly, with all the power of her throat, with all her lungs, until she could not breath anymore. But there was no response. Bristle could not hear her. She wanted to cry, again, because it was the most important creature in her life, like a brother, a best friend. She grew up with him, she learned everything with him, and even if he was just an animal, the looks he was giving to his master were comprehensive, friendly and supportive, almost like a real human. Losing him was like losing a part of her family to Sejuani, and even like losing a part of her soul.

She wanted to cry, but there were no tears left in her eyes, her body was sick of crying all the time, and it was totally dry. So, after running one more hour, she decided to let it go, and tried to find anything to drink, eat, or any living soul she could find.


	3. The more, the merrier

On his way to the river, Shen saw an old hive on the ground. It was empty, the bees must have left it when it fell from the tree, a long time ago. He took it, thinking that it could be very useful to carry water from the river, as he had nothing else.

When he finished filling it, he heard fast steps coming in his direction. He looked carefully and saw a friendly shadow behind the trunks. He recognized Lucian, so he called him. The running man stopped when he heard his name, and Shen called him again. Lucian looked in the ninja's direction, and started running even faster than before.

« Shen ! It is you ! he shouted. Don't run, I come in peace.

\- Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I don't know what is happening, so I think we should just stick together for now, and forget about the game. Are you okay?

\- Yes I'm okay. And you ?

\- I'm okay too. I think we were very lucky, I found Ahri in a cave where she was under a pile of rocks. Her leg is quite bloody… I am collecting water for her. I hope she will get better » said Shen with a lot of honesty in his voice, as usual.

He was always very helpful, discreet and never wanted no honor when he was saving his teammates from a certain death. He never told lies, and he was the person with the greatest moral sens, who ever existed in League's history. In fact, the only person who he was lying to, was himself…

He was really in love, since many years, with an other ninja. Someone he used to work with, to share incredible moments with, but he always kept this feeling far from his heart. As a ninja, he had offered his life to protect other people, and he had sworn he would never let feelings impair his judgment. To the point where he was lying to his own heart about his love for Akali for years.

As Shen and Lucian were talking to try to figure out what happened in the rift, collecting their memories, Vladimir, who was walking along the river not knowing where he was going at all, saw them on the other side of the water. He felt so relieved that he called them with all his voice, hoping they would hear him, which they did. But Vladimir couldn't swim, so Shen asked Lucian to get the water to Ahri, explaining him the road, while he would walk next to the river until Vladimir and him find a way to cross it.

After five minutes of straight walk, Lucian got to a plain. From there he could see the fox lady, but he noticed that there was someone else next to her. After several more steps and after focusing really hard, he recognized Sejuani. But he immediately noticed that she was without her boar… which was very unusual even in everyday life. When he got to them, he started to talk :

« Hey girls, I'm glad I found you. Shen told me how to get there, and he asked me to get you some water Ahri.

\- Thanks Lucian, said Sejuani, Ahri really needed it.

\- Shen didn't tell me that you were here too Sej, the vampire continued to talk.

\- Oh yeah, I arrived there five minutes ago, I was walking in circles and suddenly I saw Ahri here so I came. Lucky, isn't it? » the rider said, with a hint of humor.

Lucian was impressed by Sejuani. He always wondered how she was able to smile and seem happy all the time, no matter what others could say or do to her. And even if he didn't have many occasions of talking to her in the past, he knew that everyone who ever talked to her was impressed by this incredible state of mind.

No one knew how much she was suffering every second. She was hiding it perfectly well behind a big smile, and she was the only person in the world to know her real feelings. Even Bristle, who had to comfort her every morning, didn't know what was the cause of so much pain and so many tears. To the world, she was one of the happiest people.

After some time, Shen came back with Vladimir. They both seemed very wet, and they were laughing like two old friends.

« I didn't know I would ever be so scared of a frog ! » said the vampire as he was trying to breathe normally, before bursting into laughter again.

« Believe me, I've never thought you could be so scared of anything Vlad ! answered Shen, joking.

\- In fact, we walked all this time for nothing, since I fell into the water anyway ! Good thing you were not afraid to get wet too.

\- I knew right from the start that you would end up in the water, you are the clumsiest vampire ever ! »

They joined their friends, explained how Vladimir « crossed » the river with a lot of humor, and they managed to light a fire as the evening was approaching.

But there was one thought that Shen couldn't get out of his mind.


	4. The rush

Shen couldn't fall asleep. He was always thinking about Akali : where was she ? No one saw her during the day, and it was making him very nervous. He needed to know she was safe. That's why, as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon, he decided that as soon as it would rise again he would go and search for her.

When he opened his eyes, he was already ready to set off. He looked everywhere, in every corner.

After several hours, his iron will finally borne fruit. He saw a piece of green shirt hung on a tree. He recognized it : it was Akali's. She was the only one who could wear green with such elegance. She was always so beautiful, and full of grace… He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts, they were not suitable for a ninja like him. But in fact, they couldn't stop sneaking into his mind. And he wasn't able to let them all go.

He walked around the tree, imagining all the ways Akali could have gone from it, trying them one by one and always going back to the trunk, which was the only lead he had.

And once, when he was starting to lose hope, he heard a whisper that gave him goosebumps. It was _her_ voice ! Akali… she was so close. A new kind of strength took over the ninja, and all his senses we ready. He heard on more whisper, and he didn't need nothing else. He jumped over a fallen trunk, crossed a bush, and there he saw her. She was covered in blood, and there was fear in her eyes for the first time in her life. Shen had never seen this kind of look, and it shook him more than he thought it would.

He didn't hesitate one more second, he got to her, took her in his arms and ran like crazy until he reached the river. He put her on the ground, took some water to wash the blood, and did everything he could to give her a chance to live. He didn't even know what he was doing, he was just out of his mind : everything was blurred. And there was only one name running all over his head, the name of the one he secretly loved…

He did everything he could to save her, he used all the strength he had to make her feel better. And then, when he finished, he fainted from a total burn-out.

At the camp, the champions worried. Shen didn't say to anyone where he went. Nobody knew what happened to him. On top of that, Sejuani had disappeared too, leaving the rest of the groupe in the blur. But they had other problems to take care of : they still had not found every player from the game. Ashe, Sona, Akali, Thresh and Hecarim were missing and nobody knew where they were. That's why they decided to go and look for them, at the exception oh Ahri who could not walk yet and who had to stay in case someone came back.

So they took off, looking for anyone they could find. And the first soul they found was not a champion. It was Sejuani's companion, Bristle, the boar. It looked like he didn't breathe anymore, and his body was as cold as the ice. They knew how much he was important to the woman, and they also knew how mentally hurt she would be and how her heart would break into thousands of pieces if she knew what happened to her dear animal. After a short debate, they decided they would have to tell her anyway, because keeping hope for nothing is even worst than being hurt, no matter how much it hurts.

As the evening was approaching, they decided to come back to the camp. On they road back, Lucian got lost in his thoughts. He was thinking about the day before, when he was about to kill Thresh… He didn't say anything to the others, but this picture couldn't leave his mind. And there was this one thought, so dark, that was trying to get to his conscience. He was realizing that all this situation wasn't in the game. Both teams got together, forgetting the rules, and no one cared about the teams anymore, they only wanted to help as much as they could, and figure out what had happened. And Lucian felt terrible regrets rising inside his heart. Why was he always following the rules so hardly ? If only he hadn't thought before dropping the stone… If only he had killed the ghost, without making up inexistant rules in a place like this ! It was maybe the one and only chance for him to take revenge, and now it was gone. He was hating himself so much at this point, and the only thing he had in his mind was the sound of his feet running on the grass. Such a monotone noise in his head. It was so loud in his brain that he didn't even notice it was in fact a real sound he was hearing, and he only got conscious of it when he walked into Vladimir who had stopped walking to listen. A sound similar to someone knocking on a piece of wood, someone very weak who was about to loose any strength. Lucian immediately thought about Sona, she was such a tiny creature !

« Do you think it might be… started Lucian.

\- … Sona ! Vladimir finished his sentence, starting to look everywhere near them.

\- Sona, don't worry, we are here, we'll find you ! said Lucian to give hope and some strength to the poor champion.

\- Just don't stop making noise, we are almost there » said Vladimir.

After some more seconds searching everywhere they finally found her and they saw a big relief on her face. She was stuck under pieces of wood, and she looked so tired. They finally managed to take her out of this mess and they got back to Ahri as fast as they could.

There, they saw Sejuani, Shen and Akali who were back. The female ninja didn't look very well, but Ahri was beginning to feel well better as she was smiling and laughing with Sejuani. They came as heroes carrying Sona in their arms, but no one knew they were also carrying some bad news at the same time.

« Good thing I made some water reserves when I went to the river » said Sejuani with a smirk on her face.

During her absence, she went to the river to get some water for everyone. At least that was her official version of the situation. But the truth was, she did not want anyone to see her cry as she woke up… So she ran away, ended up stuck in front of a wall of rocks, where she had no strength left to climb. There, she cried. A lot. And she thought about Ashe who was still missing. She also told herself that here, Tryndamere could not get in her way. He could not come between her and the one she loved… She was dreaming about getting closer to the Queen, to let the rivalry aside and become friends. Or maybe even more than that… But it was all in her mind. And after all, they were supposed to be ennemies. They had always been, in the mind of their people, in the mind of everyone in Runeterra. And she was sure that even in her very own heart, Ashe felt exactly the same as everyone. But Sejuani didn't want to lose hope, she was not the type to give up. And love makes hope stronger than anything else. So she tried to find her, she looked everywhere around but she was too sad to have clear vision. She got to the river, sat down, drank a little and rested for some time.

« Why do I love you so much… »

This little sentence sneaked out of her mind, and she realized too late that she had said it way too loudly. She looked around, saw nobody near so she felt relieved. And finally, she decided to take some more water for the others and she started to head back to the camp.

Every morning from there, Sejuani was running back to her « secret place », crying before coming back with water. And all the others got used to it very fast.

But Ashe was still missing.


	5. Secrets

During the few following days, Sona started to regain energy, and she found out that she still had some healing possibilities. It wasn't a strong power like during games anymore, but she had a kind of soft and calming aura which was able to ease the pain and make others feel a little better. Thanks to this, Ahri and Akali were slowly coming back to their full health, and they felt almost no pain. Ahri in fact, although everyone thought she had broken her leg, only suffered from a prolongated pressure on the skin and vessels which hurt her a lot. But it healed very well, just like Akali whose body totally recovered. This was making Shen a really happy guy, and he was remembering the day when he was looking for her and the moment when he woke up next to her, walked to the camp carrying her carefully in his arms. He remembered her face, as she was sleeping, dreaming… and she suddenly whispered his name with her sweetest voice…

« Shen … »

This one word had such a huge impact on him, he could feel his heart beating faster than ever, he could feel a sweet fire consuming his lungs, his hands, and going up to his head, he could feel real happiness. And he swore to himself that he would never forget these feelings, that he would never let anyone else break his strongest defenses. This time he could not lie to himself anymore, he gave up on protecting his mind and heart from the reality, from the pure and unbelievable love he felt for the female ninja. He finally accepted his feelings, and it changed him forever.

He was in love with Akali. Since as far as he could remember, he was burning with passion for this beautiful creature, and now he would dedicate his entire life to keep her safe, to make her happy.

One day, as Sejuani was coming back from her secret place, she found the camp empty. There was nobody near, but the fire was still up. She didn't know where they were but she didn't panic at all because she knew them quite well, and it was clear to her that nothing could happen to such good fighters if they stood together. So she decided to simply wait for them. She laid on the floor and looked to the sky, so blue and beautiful. She looked at the clouds and imagined what they were looking at. She saw a bee, a dragon and many other plants and animals, it was making her feeling well. And then, she saw a heart. A big, pure heart, and it immediately made her think about hers which was so dark and broken. She couldn't help but feel really sad, and as there was no one on the camp she started to cry. Again. In the end, she was feeling like her whole life could resume to tears, she was feeling like she was the weakest person in Runeterra.

Suddenly, she felt a sweet aura around her, full of compassion and sadness. It felt so good, she was relieved for a moment, but then she understood that it was Sona's aura. She wiped her tears, sat dawn as fast as she could and hope that the girl hadn't seen anything. She did not want anyone to se her like this, to see her weak. But without making a sound, Sona came closer behind her, and put her soft arms around te boar rider. She surrounded her with all the compassion and understanding she could, she only wanted to make her feel better.

Sejuani was ashamed, how could she not notice the maven ? How could she let herself cry like this where there was a possibility of someone watching her? But after a moment of silence, she turned around and hugged Sona as strong as she could, bursting with tears. But surprisingly for her, it made her feel good. She felt like someone understood her for the first time, like she could be herself and let down her mask.

« Thank you… » Sejuani said, from the bottom of her heart. « Thank you »

Of course Sona couldn't answer, but Sejuani knew she understood. And she now felt like she needed to talk, so without hesitation she started to tell her story.

« I love someone » she started, and waited a little before continuing

« But his person will never love me back. It's forbidden. I hate myself so much for what I feel. I hate myself so much but… I can't stop loving the warmth in my heart at the same time, it's so unique, so special to feel like this. Why do I have to go through all of this, why couldn't I fall in love with a boy from my people, with a prince or even with a baker. Why did I have to fall for… »

She stopped, moved a bit and turned her back from Sona, lost in her thoughts. She looked for something in her pocket and took out a little piece of tissu.

« The first time I met her, even before the League, it was during a fight between our tribes. As the leader of my people I got to fight against her. She was so beautiful, so graceful, she looked like an angel from the sky. But we had to fight, so I fought like never before and I managed to hurt her, cutting this piece of tissu. Then, her husband Tryndamere arrived with the rest of his army, and we had to retreat. From that time, I never got rid of this piece of tissu… »

She turned around, looked Sona in the eyes. She seemed really moved by Sejuani's story, and she looked to understand. So Sejuani continued her story :

« I know I shouldn't love her. And believe me I've tried to forget her. But I can't, it's stronger than anything else, it burns in my heart, it drives me crazy, it makes my tears fall everyday. It even controls my dreams, sneaks in my head whenever I drop my guard. I love her. I love her so much, I would give my life for her, I would give everything I have, my heart, my soul, my memories, my future and my past. But I can't. She hates me, she's my enemy, my rival. And she has a loving, strong husband who gives her more everyday than I could give her in my whole life. »

Sona knew what real love is, and in Sejuani's eyes she could see pure passion. This feeling that was consuming her was the strongest she had ever seen. So she looked the sad girl in the eyes and wiped her remaining tears, smiling to let her know how supportive she would be to her. She then gave her something to eat, and they waited in silence until the rest of the champions got back.


	6. Happiness

Ashe was so glad. She was not alone anymore ! She was so scared in that cave, in the darkness surrounding her tiny body, and now the other champions from the game had found her.

They were all walking together and Ashe still had enough energy to take steps on her own. They were laughing, joking, and they were really happy that they finally found the ice queen. The only ones missing were Thresh and Hecarim but nobody on the camp used to be their friends so it wasn't a priority for them to find the ghosts.

When they arrived, Sejuani seemed to be feeling very well, and she was doing something next to the fire with Sona's help. She didn't notice the returning champions, so it really surprised her when Vladimir touched her shoulder to say hello. She jumped out of scare, smiled when she saw the vampire making fun of her, and she pushed him back saying « you… so stupid mate ! You scared me ! You are going to pay for this, I'm telling you ! »

Vladimir couldn't stop laughing so he didn't answer the taunt, and Sej turned back. There, she heard an angel's voice :

« Hello Sej ! »

It was Ashe. The rider couldn't believe it, this little sentence totally froze her, and she even forgot where she was for several seconds. Everything was upside down.

Ashe, even though she was covered in dirt and very pale, looked so beautiful to her, she was the most perfect creature that had ever existed.

« Oh, hi Ashe… »

Sejuani couldn't think of anything else to say, the situation still seemed so impossible in her mind that she thought she was dreaming.

« I'm so relieved that you guys found me, I was really starting to lose hope down there ! I don't know how long I would have kept on fighting for my life. And, you know, I think this situation we are in is a perfect occasion to get to know each other… I mean, we've never talked, we've never let a single chance to diplomacy between our two clans, or even friendship. And it's been a long time since I wanted to get to forget about the status, the rivalry, the boring priorities, people complaining about the cold winter… And have the possibility to do what I want, talk to who I want and how I want. And since Tryndamere is not here… not that I don't like him, I do love him really much, but he won't keep me away from everyone else and he won't decide on who I want to make bonds with. »

She made a break, waiting for a reaction from Sejuani but she was so full of emotions and questions at this moment that she was not able to open her mouth. So Ashe, trying one last time to convince the boar rider, asked :

« So can we start everything over ? »

And she put her hand in front of her, waiting for a handshake to close the deal. Sejuani waited a short amount of time to understand what was going on and she finally took Ashe's hand, gathering all her strength to show a great smile and say :

« Let's do this ! I've been waiting for this a long time too ! »

Shen called the Freljord queen to check on her health and make sure everything was as « okay » as she kept on repeating every time someone asked her.

Sejuani was trying to think, but she could not think straight. Her head was such a mess, her heart was completely out of control, and her cheeks were starting to turn red… She made sure no one could see her, and then decided to take some distance from the camp and think about what just happened. She still could not believe it. After all these years, all these times she was imagining what it would be like having Ashe to talk to her… And it finally happened ! The queen spoke to her… She was even the one to _start_ the conversation, the one who _wanted_ to talk to her ! It was incredible, it was the most beautiful feeling she ever had. Looking in Ashe's eyes, so close from her, and finally touching her hand…

She laid down on the ground, the grass tickling her neck and the sun closing her eyes. She took some very deep breaths, smelling the scent of hundreds of flowers and hearing the bugs doing their own things in the dirt. She was _happy_. For the first time in her life, she was feeling real joy, with not even a little bit or sadness or bitterness. It was so new to her, and she was trying to remember every single sensations she had, in order to never forget this moment.

She wanted to always remember how good she could feel, how good love could make her feel.

She decided that she would take the chance she was given, to get closer and closer the her beloved archer, and to feel as much happiness as she could take. She would never give up, now that she had felt like this. Ever.

She slowly got back on her feet and returned to the camp. And the next morning, for the first time, she didn't run to cry in the forest.


	7. Take a chance

Ahri was the last one to wake up as usual. She really liked to sleep a lot, even though she never dreamed. She took her time to stretch out and yawn a lot before she went outside ; the champions worked hard the last few days to make a confortable place to sleep in the cave where Ahri was found, craving a nice entry in the rock, big enough fort them to get in or out without problems and to let the sun enlighten the whole place in the middle of the day.

She met Ashe next to the fire. She was making a bow for herself, with some wood that she found next to the river. She really liked to hunt with her own weapons, and usually she was hunting at least one a week with her husband Tryndamere. They used to bet on who would catch the most animals, or who would catch a specific amount the faster, and these moments were very funny for both of them as it was a common passion. Ashe was starting to miss the rushes of adrenaline, the crazy concentration required to be the best, and having no room for error since the animals were freaking out very easily. She loved competition, and more than anything she loved winning.

Ahri knew it, and she immediately thought about someone else who loved competition, at least as much as Ashe : Sejuani. And she also had noticed that they were trying to become friends despite their rivalry in the « real world », so she wanted to help them with it.

She waited until the rider came back, and submitted her the idea she had.

« Sej, good to see you ! she started. I wanted to tell you something.

\- Good to see you too Ahri. Of course, go ahead.

\- So, I know that you like hunting and stuff, and I know you and Ashe don't hate each other anymore, she said with a cute little laugh. So I thought that maybe you could go with her kill some animals when she finishes her bow. I'm sure it would be a great thing for both of you ! You must be a tough competition so she will be so glad ! »

Sej knew it was an amazing chance for her. Hunt, share amazing moments with Ashe, good laughs, and also show her that she was really good too ! Show her that… She was as good as Tryndamere when it was coming to using a weapon or make her give her best. So she accepted without a single hesitation.

« You really have good ideas Ahri, thanks. I will ask her right now. »

She was getting used to talk to Ashe. Since the first conversation, they had several others, very short but very intense for Sejuani. And now, even if her heart was beating as fast as the first time, she was able to control her voice and her thoughts.

She told her what Ahri said, and Ashe was really happy that she finally had someone to hunt with. The fox was right, and Sejuani wanted to thank her again, with all her heart but she would not understand why. So the rider and the archer decided that they would go every morning, before the others even woke up, to bring food for the day and to commune with nature.

Sona was almost never moving from the camp. She was like a solid stone on which everyone could rely whenever they needed it. And she enjoyed watching everyone, their reactions, the smiles or tears they were hiding from others, the looks they were giving to the one they loved, and all the details no one else could see. Shen's love for example was not a secret for her, and she thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. The ninja seemed so strong, emotionless, putting his work and duty above all. But in fact, he was the most shy person out of all the champions here.

But she also noticed the way Akali's cheeks were becoming red every time she was finishing talking with him, the loving smile she had when the ninja was doing something for her, or simply showing that he was thinking about her. The looked like two teenagers who can't seem to understand each other's signals. Sona believed that they needed to be together, they deserved to be happy and to be loved. That's why she wanted Akali to understand how big her feelings were, but also how big Shen's feelings were. And as she knew, love doesn't need words… she only needed to give her friend the proof of what was deep inside Akali's own heart.

She waited for them to end the conversation they were having, and came to the girl. She had that smile saying « I know everythiiiiiiiing » and her look was switching from Shen to Akali all the time. She couldn't talk, so she tried to use her body language to express her thoughts. Akali understood immediately what the Maven wanted to point out.

« Hey, that's not true ! You are completely crazy my poor Sona. Shen? and me? Where did you get this idea? » she said, her cheeks getting as red as the blood under her skin.

_'__you really thought it would be that easy?'_ Sona thought, but her expression was so clear that Akali had no trouble understanding what she meant.

« I'm telling you, you have it all wrong ! »

Sona knew that the ninjas were people of their word, so she wanted to use this against her for once. She held out her hand. _'swear'_

After several seconds of intense thinking and inside battle, Akali gave up and said :

« No, I can't swear… You know I can't swear something I'm not sure of... You got me there. You are such an awful person ! » she continued with an amused voice. « And the worst part of it is, that I am not even mad about you. I can't believe you are able to use such a treacherous manipulation ! But well, I guess you are right… Maybe I do like him a little bit more than I should… »

Sone felt her friend was finally starting to accept these feelings, and she hope she would pay more attention to Shen's behavior towards her, his shining love for her.

So they kept on talking a little more, and finally the evening came.


	8. On a mission

In the morning, Lucian was thinking again about his first day after the hurricane. The weight of his decision when he saw Thresh was too heavy for him to bear, he felt like he needed to talk to someone. And he thought he should at least tell the others that he saw the two missing champions.

He immediately knew he should share it with the one he trusted the most : Shen. Everyone could trust him, he was able to keep any secret and to take the best decisions.

« Hi Shen, I wanted to tell you something.

\- Oh hi Lucian, sure. I'm all ears.

\- You know, Thresh and Hecarim… We still haven't found them.

\- Yes I know, you think we should look for them more actively?

\- Oh no, I mean, it's not what I first had in my mind. But I wanted to let you know that I saw them. »

He paused for a second, and then continued before Shen could answer.

« The day we arrived here, I heard both of them talking and…

\- They were talking? What were they talking about, did you here anything? »

The ninja knew perfectly well these champion's past, and knowing they were speaking to each other as soon as they found one another was making him imagine really bad things.

« Erm… I … I don't know… I wasn't listening, my thoughts were totally somewhere else.

\- You don't have any memories ? A word, an attitude?

\- Well, I guess that they were looking like they were very into what they were saying. It seemed quite important though.

\- They might have made some plans… And no one saw them in the past days, or even weeks : it heralds nothing good… What could they be preparing ? I think we should look for them. Very fast. Or it might have horrible consequences for us, you know how powerful they are. »

Lucian didn't hesitate at all. He needed to find his wife's murderer, he needed to kill him once and for all. Get rid of this evil monster.

« You are right Shen, and the sooner, the better. We could even go right now, to scout the forest before we all go together and discover what is really going on. »

Akali was watching the two champions talking from a far for a while. In fact, she was mainly looking at her beloved. Her thoughts were spinning in circles around the ninja, she felt so in love with him, she felt complete when she totally focused on his smile, so rare but so perfect.

She noticed that they seemed worried and she wanted to know why. And then, as soon as she saw them starting moving, she ran in their direction.

« Where are you going? » she said out of the blue.

Shen didn't know what to do, or what to say. He was so surprised, and he wasn't prepared at all to talk to her.

« Erm… » he couldn't say anything else, he was totally lost in Akali's eyes.

So Lucian decided to tell her. He knew she was a ninja just like Shen, so he wasn't scared to explain what they were about to do. And she could be very helpful to cover more of the forest.

« We will scout the forest, to find Thresh and Hecarim. We hope to find the place where they're hiding, or any clue that could lead us to them…

\- Can I join you? I think we need to be at least more than they are, just in case…

\- Ok, you can come Akali, we might need you. You are right » Shen finally opened his mouth and managed to say these few words.

And as a team, they started to walk towards the forest. There, they decided to split up because they didn't have a lot of time, as they preferred to come back before the night.

Akali headed east, through the thickest part of the forest and she noticed that there were so many useful things for them in this part of the territory like fruits, mushrooms, giant leaves… Moving on, she was very careful about the noises she could here to be ready if anything was to happen to her. But she was also scared not to find her way back, even if she was leaving clues in special places she was not sure to always see them.

After a while, as she couldn't find anything useful for finding the remaining champions she decided to sit and rest before going back to the camp. Then, she heard a flock of birds flying away, and she turned around.


End file.
